Chapter 55: Impossible!
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TL: FoodieMonster007; ED: TheGreatT20 If you see this, you are at the wrong site!
After parting with Hyonwon Kang, I headed to our favorite restaurant to see Ak Yeon-Ho and Myeong Il-Oh, but they looked visibly drained.
“Hyung-nim…”
“You’re alive…”
I scratched my head in confusion. “Huh? What the hell happened to you two?”
“Don’t even get me started. That bastard Sunwoo Jin is abusing me right from day one.”
“Same here. I was totally bossed around… sigh… even though he’s only a few years older than me…”
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Amateurs. That’s how it works in the workplace. I smirked at them and quipped, “Do you want to switch with me then?”
"”…No.””
The two senior instructors in charge of them might be demanding, but no one at Azure Dragon Academy could compete with my maternal grandfather, whether it was in brewing tea or martial arts.
“You guys are lucky,” I said. “I saw my life flash before my eyes several times today because of my idiot of a father.”
“I’ve never seen anyone as unfilial as you, Hyung-nim.”
“It’s my dad’s fault for being the worst delinquent in the academy back then.”
We joked for a while about who had the worst day, until suddenly I heard a raspy woman’s voice from behind me, “So you guys… were here…”
“Miss Jaegal?”
THUD!
Jaegal So-Yeong slumped down at our table. Her face resembled that of a corpse, and her eyes were lifeless.
“Miss Jaegal, are you okay?”
Jaegal So-Yeong waved the waiter over and said, “…Bring me a bottle of Zhuyeqing.”
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As soon as the wine arrived, she opened the bottle.
GULP… GULP… GULP… BAM!
In one gulp, she drank the whole thing, then slammed the empty bottle down on the table.
Taken aback, the three of us immediately sat up straight.
“Namgoong-oppa… is a total workaholic! How can one person handle all that work alone? He needs ‘some’ help, my ass. My room is filled with so many papers I can barely walk, and yet he calls that ‘a little’ work!”
Despite her nerdy appearance, she’s quite the drinker.
We meekly listened to Jaegal So-Yeong’s complaints, and she concluded several times, “Namgoong Su is a messed-up workaholic!!”
“By the way, he said he only let me leave work early today because it’s my first day!”
“You’ve been working hard.”
“Tough luck to be targeted by that guy…”
“Here, have another drink.”
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Between the end of the final practical exam and the announcement of the successful applicants, Jaegal So-Yeong often came to chat with me. Our conversations ranged from murim history and foreign martial arts to the downfall of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult centuries ago and its descendant, the Blood Cult, to spirit beasts and elixirs.
I could tell that she enjoyed our discussions, as few people could engage her in such intelligent conversation, and I likewise had a blast talking to her. As a result, we quickly became close friends.
“…Sorry, I only talked about my own problems, didn’t I?” Jaegal So-Yeong apologized, feeling a little embarrassed now that she had calmed down.
I grinned cheekily and poured her a drink. “It’s okay, it’s not your first time doing that.”
“So mean…” Jaegal So-Yeong sulked and pretended to be angry at me.
[Fuck you two lovebirds! Just get a room already!]
[I’m jelly…]
I brushed off the envious banter of the two idiots.
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“By the way, Hyung-nim, any news about the Remedial Class?” Ak Yeon-Ho asked.
“I just met with Hyonwon Kang today.”
I recounted the gist of my meeting with the punk.
“…He seemed to think that beating him in martial arts would provoke Peng Sa-Hyuk, and it wouldn’t look good for him if he pissed off the future head of the Peng Clan, so he gave up after a certain point.”
"”……”” Jaegal So-Yeong of the Jaegal Clan and Ak Yeon-Ho of the Shandong Ak Clan tensed up.
Myeong Il-Oh, on the other hand, was baffled. “No way, why would a young master from a famous family do such a thing…?”
Ak Yeon-Ho, a scion of the Shandong Ak Clan, whose reputation rivaled that of the Five Great Clans, downed the rest of his liquor in one gulp, clenched his teeth, and muttered, “It’s quite possible. If only the orthodox sects were as noble as they claim to be, but knowing what they do to protect their positions… Fuck, even the wine tastes bitter now.”
Jaegal So-Yeong hesitated for a moment, then added, “I hate to admit it, but… Hyonwon Kang, or rather the Hyonwon Clan, has no choice but to yield to the Peng Clan.”
“Why is that?”
Avoiding Myeong Il-Oh’s earnest gaze, Jaegal So-Yeong fiddled with her drink. Although she was well-versed in the history and interests of the various murim factions, as a member of the Jaegal Clan, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
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“The Hebei Peng Clan and the Hyonwon Clan have been competing for the position of the world’s best blade sect for over a century. While the Peng Clan is generally considered more prestigious, the Hyonwon Clan has always been a threat to their position. They used to have a good relationship, helping each other improve their blade arts and strengthening their bond through intermarriage… until… the Crazy Demon of the Hyonwon Clan appeared and strained their relationship,” she explained hesitantly.
“…The Crazy Demon?”
“Yes, the Crazy Demon Hyonwon Hu.”
The name was all too familiar to me, but I wanted to hear Jaegal So-Yeong’s perspective, or rather, I wanted to know about the Crazy Demon written in the history books.
“Hyonwon Hu was the greatest genius in the history of the Hyonwon Clan. He mastered the Earth Shattering Blade at the age of sixteen and redefined the Heaven Splitting Blade before he was thirty. Many believed that he would be the next Heaven Splitting Blade.”1
Unexpectedly, discovering a man I knew had become a historical figure felt surreal.
“But sadly, things didn’t end well for Hyonwon Hu. He embarked on a Hundred Duels Trial to perfect his martial arts, and along the way, he descended into madness, killing numerous masters. Eventually, the Murim Alliance branded him the ‘Crazy Demon’ and ordered his execution.”
“…What happened next?” Ak Yeon-Ho asked impatiently.
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Jaegal So-Yeong shook her head. “They never found him. The Crazy Demon vanished without a trace.”
No, the Crazy Demon didn’t disappear. He fell into a trap set by the Blood Cult while fleeing the Murim Alliance and was captured. Still, that doesn’t have anything to do with his family, does it?
“How is the Crazy Demon related to the falling out between the Hyonwon Clan and the Hebei Peng Clan?” I asked.
[During the Hundred Duels Trial, the Crazy Demon killed a Young Master from the Hebei Peng Clan,] Jaegal So-Yeong communicated via telepathy as if it was taboo to say it out loud.
”"”……””” All three of our eyes widened at the same time.
Suddenly, I had a flashback of Master Crazy Demon’s frequent grim lamentations.
“I don’t regret what I did. If I could go back in time, I’d do the same thing. My only regret is the shame I brought upon my family…”
Occasionally, however, Master Crazy Demon would break into a cold sweat and have nightmares.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I never meant to take your life…”
“Damn it, who gave such a timid guy the nickname Crazy Demon!”
Master Maeng always complained irritably whenever that happened, but his worried expression betrayed his true feelings.
While I was wallowing in my memories, Jaegal So-Yeong’s voice brought me back to reality.
“In the end, the relationship between the two families was irreparably damaged by that incident. But… it didn’t stop there.”
Hmm?
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Jaegal So-Yeong hesitated, unsure if she should reveal more. Then, she called out, “Waiter! Bring me a bottle of something stronger!”
She downed the bottle of hard liquor the waiter brought in one gulp and let out a long sigh, “Hoo…”
Her face now flushed from the concentrated alcohol, she said, “It’s not exactly a secret… but can we find a more private place to talk?”
We adjourned to a private room, and Jaegal So-Yeong continued, “About twenty years after the Crazy Demon’s disappearance, the Blood Cult, the arch-nemesis of the orthodox murim, was annihilated, and peace descended upon the murim. This peace has lasted until today, making it the most peaceful era in centuries. However, that wasn’t the case for certain sects and clans, especially the Hyonwon Clan, who were almost wiped out in a genocide.”
…Wait. Genocide? What genocide?
“Miss Jaegal, did you just say that the Crazy Demon massacred his own family?”
“Didn’t the Headmaster tell you about it?”
“…No, he just mentioned a great upheaval in the Hyonwon Clan which resulted in the loss of their most skilled masters. “
Jaegal So-Yeong nodded. “It happened a few decades ago, and peace returned to the murim afterward, so I suppose the Headmaster didn’t want to delve into the grim details.”
“I need to know, so please tell me everything!”
Seeing my desperation, Jaegal So-Yeong recounted, “…Ten years after the fall of the Blood Cult, the missing Crazy Demon Hyonwon Hu secretly returned to the Hyonwon Clan.”
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“……” I temporarily pushed aside the multitude of questions swirling in my mind and forced myself to listen to Jaegal So-Yeong.
“At that time, the Clan Head was the Crazy Demon’s brother, and he organized a homecoming banquet for his hyung-nim.”
I have a bad feeling about this…
“However, at the banquet, the Crazy Demon slaughtered everyone who had gathered to welcome him.”
“What a madman…!”
“How could he kill his own family!”
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Ak Yeon-Ho and Myeong Il-Oh exclaimed, horrified by the tragedy that had befallen the Hyonwon Clan.
On the contrary, I was speechless, probably because the news affected me much more than it did anyone else.
The shock and dismay on my face must have been evident, because Jaegal So-Yeong looked at me worriedly even as she whispered, “I asked for privacy because it’s such a tragic incident, but it’s not a secret. Anyone with even a passing interest in murim history knows about it.”
“…That’s not all there is to the story, right?” I croaked.
“The Crazy Demon also found the manuals for the Earth Shattering Blade and the Heaven Splitting Blade, the Hyonwon Clan’s prized martial arts, and set them on fire along with the clan’s compound. The only survivors at that time were those who were lucky enough to be out of town and the students enrolled in the academy.”
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“……”
“Afterward, the Peng Clan extended a helping hand to the Hyonwon Clan, and… Mr. Baek, are you alright!?”
I closed my eyes. Jaegal So-Yeong’s voice was growing increasingly distant. I wasn’t intoxicated, but I felt nauseated and light-headed.
The Crazy Demon returned to the Hyonwon Clan and wiped them out? That’s impossible!
“If I ever get the chance to return to my family… I would beg them for forgiveness…”
The Crazy Demon definitely died alongside me that fateful day.
Footnotes:
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Heaven Splitting Blade: A title belonging to the Hyonwon Clan Head of every generation. ↩
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